LOUISVILLE, Ky. — About 24,000 drivers who cross the Clark Memorial Bridge each day could soon face major changes to their commute.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has proposed reducing the bridge from four lanes to three, with two northbound lanes heading into Jeffersonville, Indiana, and one southbound lane going into Louisville.
“It definitely makes me a little bit nervous, because it already gets backed up going into Louisville, especially when there’s events downtown, there’s a lot of people using that crosswalk, so reducing it to one lane is making me nervous that’s going to be backed up all the way to Indiana,” said Louisville resident Andrea Metzler. “It does seem like it would make more sense to have one lane going into Indiana and two going into Louisville.”
The bridge, also known as the Second Street Bridge, opened in 1929 as a four-lane toll bridge.
KYTC says the proposed change would help reduce crashes and improve traffic flow by creating wider lanes. Officials say the focus is also on maintaining the structural integrity of the nearly 100-year-old bridge.
Residents and officials from both Indiana and Kentucky have raised concerns about the bridge’s safety, pointing to speeding vehicles and semi-trucks traveling along the narrow 10.5-foot lanes.
“I want to make sure we don’t just talk semis, because straight trucks can be just as problematic – ready mix trucks, larger trucks,” said Kerry Stemler, former co-chair of the Ohio River Bridges Authority. “That bridge is structurally obsolete, and when it was built, it was built for horses and buggies and Model T’s, so it was never thought of to become what it what is grown into today.”
Stemler also warned that reducing traffic to one lane heading into Louisville could worsen congestion.
“If I were anything to do with entertainment, restaurants, any of that, I think it could have a negative effect on them, because it may be that it’s so hard to get into downtown, you choose not to go. You choose to go some, some other direction,” he said.
“It is a scary bridge to cross. There’s no doubt about it,” said Mike Moore. “I would love to see semi tractor trailers removed from that bridge. I appreciate Kentucky bringing us into the conversation. Louisville is vital for our success.”
Moore also suggested that officials consider lowering tolls on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge to help shift some traffic away from the Second Street Bridge.
“If we are trying to make it safer and we are trying to get less congestion on that bridge, let’s try the approach of lowering the toll on the other bridges. You know, maybe that will pull some traffic away from the Second Street Bridge and back onto the Kennedy,” he said.
He added that he supports widening the lanes.
Currently, the lanes on the Second Street Bridge measure 10.5 feet wide. Because the bridge is not part of an interstate, this width meets guidelines from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which state that lanes on principal arterial roads can range from 10 to 12 feet wide.
KYTC said the proposal follows feedback gathered from community members and local leaders over the past several years regarding safety and traffic operations on the bridge.
In a statement, a KYTC spokesperson said the cabinet will continue reviewing the proposal and exploring ways to engage the community as the process moves forward.
Officials noted that there is currently no timeline for the project. Engineers will continue assessing the bridge and coordinating with leaders in both Kentucky and Indiana.
KYTC emphasized that the Clark Memorial Bridge remains safe for travel and said the goal is to ensure the historic bridge continues serving the region safely and reliably for years to come.
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